Vibratory barrel finishing machines



Feb. 28, 1967' A KELLARD 3,305,977

VIBRATORY BARREL FINISHING MACHINES Filed May 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IMVENTOE C. J. A. l fel/ard Feb. 28, 1967 c. .1. A. KELLARD VIBRATORY BARREL FINISHING MACHINES Filed May 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y; Y/M F/GZ IMVEN'TLOE C J A Ke/Iard WA'TTOEMEV ited States Patent O fiiice 3,305,977 VEBRATORY BARREL FINISHING MACHINES Charles James Albert Kellard, Rahley Heath, Welwyn, England, assignor to Almco Supersheen Division of Great Britain Limited, Hitchin, England, a British company Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,464 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 27, 1963, 21,094/63 4 Claims. (Cl. 51163) The present invention relates to vibratory barrel finishing machines and has for an object to provide an improved such machine.

In vibratory barrel finishing machines the components or articles to be processed are vibrated in the barrel of the machine together with suitable deburr-ing or abrasive media and a liquid compound. At the termination of the finishing operation on a batch of components, the compound is drawn from the barrel and the contents of the barrel washed with water.

It is necessary that the compound be circulated through the barrel while the operation proceeds and it has heretofore been proposed to spray the compound into the top of the barrel and allow it to drain by gravity through a discharge in the bottom of the barrel and into a tank. This method of operation is not entirely satisfactory because, depending upon the type of component being processed, it is desirable to maintain a flood of compound in the barrel and the desired level of the compound in the barrel varies with different classes of components.

According to the present invention the barrel of a vibratory bar-rel finishing machine is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced discharge outlets. In this manner and by connecting the return pipe of the compound circulating system to a selected one of said discharge outlets, the compound is maintained in the barrel at a level corresponding to the level of the selected outlet.

According to a further feature of the invention a compound circulating system for a vibratory barrel finishing machine comprises a reservoir or tank for containing a supply of the compound, a pump for delivering compound from the reservoir to a supply pipe at the top of the barrel, and means for returning the compound to the reservoir from a selected one of a plurality of vertically spaced discharge outlets in the barrel.

According to a still further feature of the invention the said compound circulating system includes valve means whereby the compound supply pipe can be selectively connected to the pump or to a water supply, and the barrel discharge outlet can be selectively connected to the reservoir or to drain. In this manner and when it is required to wash out the barrel, the valve means are operated so that water is supplied to the top of the barrel and is discharged through the selected one of the outlets to drain.

A vibratory barrel finishing machine embodying the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the machine and FIG. 2 is a detail drawn to an enlarged scale.

As shown in FIG. 1 a base 1 mounts the vibratory barrel finishing machine indicated generally at 2 and a reservoir or settling tank 3 for containing compound to be circulated through the bar-rel of the machine.

The machine 2 comprises a supporting structure having a frame at each side of the machine and formed by lower and upper longitudinal box section frame members 4 and 5 respectively secured together by vertical frame members 6. The lower frame members 4 are secured by bolts 7 to shock absorbing mountings 8 fixed to the base 1 by bolts 9.

A tub or barrel 10 in which parts to be surface finished are placed together with suitable finishing media, is resiliently supported on the frame members 5 by means of compression springs 11 at each side of the barrel, the compression springs being interposed between brackets 12 secured to the corresponding side wall of the barrel and spring supports 13 secured by bolts 14 to the corresponding upper frame member 5 of the supporting structure. Y

The barrel 10 is open at the top and has secured to the under side of its bottom a rotary vibrator unit 15 of known construction in which an electric motor drives a rotary out of balance mass to produce rotary vibrations which "are transmitted to the barrel.

One end wall .16 of the barrel is provided in known manner with a discharge gate 17 operable to the open position by means of'a handle 18 for discharging the finished parts and media from the barrel at the termination of a finishing cycle. The other end .wall 19 of the barrel has secured thereto an external stack pipe 20 extending upwardly from the bottom of the barrel and communicating at its lower end with the interior thereof.

As more clearly shown in FIG.'2 the stackpipe 20 is formed at its lower end with an elbow 21 having a flange 22 which is secured by bolts 23 to an annularboss 24 surrounding an opening 25 in the end wall 19, the rubber lining 26 of the barrel'being extended through the opening 25 and secured between the flan-ge'22 and the boss 24. A cylindrical member 27 is disposed within the extended rubber lining and supports a perforated plate 28 which prevents. the parts and the media from passing into the stack pipe 20.

The stack pipe 20 is open at its upper end and is provided with three discharge outlets 29 spaced lengthwise thereof for discharging compound from the barrel in the manner hereinafter to be described.

A support member 30 extending upwardly from the stack pipe 20 mounts at its upper end a rotary valve coupling to which is connected a sprinkler pipe 32 extending across the top of the barrel and provided with downwardly directed spray nozzles 33 spaced along its length. Also connected to the coupling 31 is a T junction 34 for the purpose hereinafter described.

The tank 3 is positioned below the level of the bottom of the barrel as shown in FIG. 1 and a pump 35 position in the tank adjacent the bottom thereof is supported from the top of the tank upon which is mounted a motor 36 drivingly connected to the pump 35.

A pipe 37 extends from the outlet of the pump 35 and through the top of the tank to a valve connected to the T junction 34, the T junction also providing a connection through a valve 39 to a water supply pipe 40.

A flexible pipe 41 adapted to be connected to a selected one of the discharge outlets 29 and shown in the drawing as connected to the lowermost outlet, connects through a T junction 42 and valve 43 to an inlet 44 of the tank 3. The T junction 42 also connects through a pipe 45 and valve 46 to drain. Suitable closure plugs 2 9a are of course provided for closing the discharge outlets not connected to the pipe 41.

In operation of the system described, the flexible pipe 41 is connected to a selected one of the outlets 29 to give a required level of compound in the barrel 10. Valves 39 and 46 are closed, valves 38 and 43 are opened and the pump 35 set in operation. The compound then circulates from the tank 3 through the pipe 37 and open valve 38 to the sprinkler pipe 32 and through the nozzles 33 into the barrel. When the level of compound in the barrel reaches the level of the selected outlet 29 the compound flows through the stack pipe 20 and selected outlet 29 through the flexible pipe 41 and open valve 43 to the tank inlet Patented Feb. 28, 1967 barrelis maintained at a height 44. The compound is thus continuously circulated while at the same time maintaining a required level of the compound in the barrel.

At the termination of a finishing operation the pump 35 is stopped, valves 38 and 43 are closed and valves 46 and 39 are opened. Water is then supplied from the water-supply pipe 40 through the open valve 39 to the sprinkler pipe 32 and into the barrel 10, the water being discharged through the stack pipe 2t flexible pipe 41, pipe 45 and valve 46 to drain. The barrel and its contents :are therefore effectively flushed out with water after which the finished components together with the media are removed through the discharge gate 17.

The provision of the stack pipe discharge is of considerable advantage when abrasives are employed in addition to the compound because since abrasives are comparatively heavy there is less probability of them being washed out of the barrel by the circulating compound flowing upwardly through the stack pipe, than in the case in which the compound is discharged directly at the bottom of the barrel. Furthermore by employing a flood of compound according to the invention and even when abrasives are not added, a much superior surface finish is obtained.

I claim:

.1. A vibratory bar-rel finishing machine comprising a finishing barrel, a reservoir for containing a supply of compound, means for feeding compound from the reservoir into the barrel, a conduit formed with a plurality of discharge outlets situated at different levels and in cornnrunication with the interior of the bar-rel below said outlets and with the atmosphere above said outlets, means for connecting a selected one of ,saiddischarge outlets to said reservoir for returning cornpoundtheretov and closure means for closing each of said outlets below said selected outlet whereby the level of compound in the corresponding to that of said selected outlet.

2. A vibratory barrel finishing machine comprisinga finishing barrel'having an open top, a reservoir for containing a supply of finishing compound, sprinkler means positioned above the open top of the barrel, pump means for pumping compound from said reservoir, first conduit means providing communication between the pump means and the sprinkler means for supplying pumped compound to the sprinkler means, an external stack pipe extending upwardly from the level of the bottom of the barrel and communicating at its upper end with the atmosphere and at its lower end with the interior of the barrel, a pluralityof verticallyspaced discharge outlets formed in said stack pipe, openable closure means for each of said discharge outlets, and second conduit means adapted to be connected to any selected one of said discharge outlets and communicating with the reservoir.

3. A vibratory banrel finishing machine as claimed in claim 2, and further comprising first valve means in said first conduit means for shutting off the flow of compound to the sprinkler means, means for supplying flushing liquid to the first conduit means downstream of said first valve means when the said first valve is closed, second valve means in said second conduit means for shutting off the return of compound to the reservoir and a closable drainage outlet communicating with said second conduit means upstream of said second valve means.

4. In a vibratory barrel finishing. machine having a finishing barrel and means for supplying finishing compound to the barrel, and for Withdrawing it therefrom, the provision of an upwardly extending external stack pipe communicating at its upper end with the atmosphere and at its lower end with the interior of the bottom of the barrel, a plurality of vertically spaced discharge outlets formedin said stack pipe for discharging compound from the barrel through a selected one of said outlets, and openable closure means for closing each outlet below said selected outlet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 248,573 10/1881 Burkhardt 1 37-577 X 2,997,814 8/1961 Brandt 51-163 X 3,253,369 5/1966 Reichert et al 51-l63 FOREIGN PATENTS 934,150 8/1963 Great Britain.

LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary'Examiner. 

4. IN A VIBRATORY BARREL FINISHING MACHINE HAVING A FINISHING BARREL AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FINISHING COMPOUND TO THE BARREL, AND FOR WITHDRAWING IT THEREFROM, THE PROVISION OF AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING EXTERNAL STACK PIPE COMMUNICATING AT ITS UPPER END WITH THE ATMOSPHERE AND AT ITS LOWER END WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED DISCHARGE OUTLETS FORMED IN SAID STACK PIPE FOR DISCHARGING COMPOUND FROM THE BARREL THROUGH A SELECTED ONE OF SAID OUTLETS, AND OPENABLE CLOSURE MEANS FOR CLOSING EACH OUTLET BELOW SAID SELECTED OUTLET. 